A Night to Remember
by DarthObsydian
Summary: Having been deprived of food and water, Plagueis is allowed one night of indulgence. He is offered food, drink, and a little company.


A Night to Remember

"_The will is a beast of burden. If God mounts it, it wishes and goes as God wills; if Satan mounts it, it wishes and goes as Satan wills; Nor can it choose its rider... the riders contend for its possession."_

-MLKJ

_"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."_

-Mother Teresa

**Between 164-137 Years BBY**

I was in my seventeenth year at the time of this story's start, barely having reached adulthood. Sitting in my chambers, submerged in darkness, I willed the Force to lend me strength despite my body's protests. I had not been given food in three weeks. Water was brought to my room every third morning, laced with a putrid flavor that tasted either like poison or sewage. I was barely alive and deprived of doing much living. I knew my master was testing my limits. Pushing me farther than I had ever gone before. Despite this fact I was less than appreciative. The few times he made an appearance I was overcome with visions in which I fillet him alive and I was overcome with the symphony of his agonized screams. Now that I think on it, perhaps that was why he was so often absent during that time.

On the day that my stay in purgatory ended, my master opened the chamber door to find me on the floor. Slowly I pulled myself up to kneel, too exhausted to deal with my fury. I'm sure if he knew of my indifference, Tenebrous would have berated me severely.

"You have done well, Plagueis," the Bith said.

I noted my gratitude at his praise, but felt none of it genuinely. At the time I did not fully grasp the necessity of what he was trying to achieve by torturing me thusly. At the time, I began to realize just how much I loathed him. At the time, I realized I wanted him dead.

"I now offer you an end to your suffering," Tenebrous continued. "Rise and follow me."

"As you wish, my master."

He took me on a journey through the maze that made up the Nome estate, finally stopping at the farthest door on the eastern side.

Turning to me, Tenebrous said, "The time has come to purge yourself of the whims of your flesh. If you have fully conquered them, if your weakness has been squandered, then after tonight there should be no need for repetition. Do you understand?"

"I believe so, Master."

Motioning to the door he said, "Sate your lusts, Plagueis. Be sure to take your fill; it will be some time before you can indulge yourself again."

"I understand."

Tenebrous left me then. As degrading as the thought of being rewarded like a pet was, I waited until he had vanished around the corner before opening the door to see what he had arranged for me. At least I would deny him the privilege of watching me chew my bone. It was a bone, to say the least. The room appeared as both a library and a banquet hall merged into one. A grand table was filled with more food than I could possibly consume; there was a trickling fountain of fresh, clean water; a variety of wine sat in ice on the corner bar. My master had spoken the truth. All I desired was in this room: food, drink, literature, a warm fire, and… company.

A playmate of sorts.

A Twi'lek female stood in front of the fireplace. Her skin was a light purple, which was accentuated by her golden headdress and the crimson silk veil that clung to her body, leaving very little of her elegant figure to the imagination. It was obvious that she was a slave. Underneath her beauty there was a sense of the illness and fatigue that accompanies malnourishment. Thin eyebrows had been tattooed onto her face to make her more desirable to humanoid customers; however they were uneven and poorly done, as evident by the faint scars surrounding the ink. She was also making a conscious effort to avoid my eyes.

I found this irksome; for a brief moment I considered grabbing hold of her lekku until the pain left her incapacitated. Coming to the conclusion that this would be counterproductive to her purpose for this evening, I decided to make conversation.

"Greetings."

She smiled at me, but said nothing.

"What is your name?"

"Sir?" Her voice was pleasant; it flowed, soft and delicate.

"What do they call you?"

Her eyes never left the floor. "Nothing."

My eyes narrowed. "Then what do you call yourself?"

Her discomfort was palpable. "Sierra."

"Sierra. You chose that name yourself?"

"I thought it was pretty," she said.

I nodded. To be frank, I was just surprised that she could think at all. "You are here to entertain me this evening?"

She nodded in reply.

I was surprised, but not entirely disappointed. I assumed this could turn out to be enjoyable. However, that was not the most pressing need I had at that moment. Changing focus, I motioned to the food. She hesitated and I was not inclined to wait on her. The hunger pangs were growing too violent to ignore. I seated myself at the head of the table and began to feast. It wasn't long until the Twi'lek joined me. Her attempts to hide her delight were feeble, but I did not deem it necessary to deny her a meal. After a while my hunger subsided and I opened one of the bottles of wine. I poured myself a glass, then, after a moment of consideration, I poured one for the Twi'lek as well. Again she hesitated, but, presumably, fearing she might anger me, the Twi'lek took the drink. I moved to sit on the couch and she followed, falling into the rhythm of the evening. Silence past between us for several moments before I chose to break it.

"You are quite beautiful, Sierra. Of course, you know that."

"'tis how I am supposed to be."

"Yes, I know."

"What name should I say tonight, sir?"

I sniffed. "How touching."

"'tis why I was chosen."

"Oh I don't doubt it." I pondered a moment before I continued. "You may call me Hego or Plagueis; I will allow you to choose."

"Thank you." The Twi'lek looked uncertain for a moment, then, moving from memory, she placed her drink on the table beside the couch and eased herself onto my lap. "What would you like from me, Hego?"

I decided it best not to answer. Taking the hint she slid off of me and stepped back to the center of the room. There she danced a dance I was certain she had performed many times before. I will not go into detail of this seduction ritual; all one has to do is peer into the back rooms of any cantina to see a very apt representation.

I won't deny it got the job done. Placing my empty glass down beside hers I closed the gap between myself and the slave. My motions made sloppy from an excess of food and wine I grabbed the Twi'lek around her waist and threw her down on the shag rug beside the fire place; there I continued to indulge myself. As I worked my hands under her veil I heard her whisper something, but I could not make out what it was.

"What?"

"I ask you to begin gently. My body is still sick from my youngling."

At this I paused.

"You've born children?"

"Yes Hego. Five younglings."

"Recently?"

Sierra blinked. "One youngling two weeks ago."

"I see."

"Kune finds highest bidder, then Kune sells the youngling. Then I go make more money."

I untangled myself from her arms, suddenly finding this creature repulsive. Her weakness, it was too much to stomach. Realizing the danger she was in, the Twi'lek pushed herself up from rug. Seeing her fear, I decided I what game I would like to play.

"You know what I want from you, Sierra." I said, allowing the yellow to seep into my eyes.

The Twi'lek shook her head.

"Answers. Can you manage that?"

"I… will try."

I proceeded. "Kune is who owns you, yes?"

She nodded.

"Does Kune know your name?"

She paused, and then shook her head. "Kune does not call us by names. Kune just points and shouts and we listen."

"I see. And these children of yours, do you see them before they are sold?"

The Twi'lek looked away, her face seemed to light up, but her eyes filled with a heavy sorrow. "I held one youngling. It was a boy. He looked a little like me. Kune even let me give him a name and I named him Chee. It means warrior. I gave him a strong name so he could grow up strong. That's what the droid told me to do. "

"Is that all? Only one child?"

The Twi'lek flinched. She sat up and her veil slid back down over her body. "I cried too much after baby Chee. Kune said I wasn't behaved enough to see younglings anymore. When labor pains came, so did the cloth for my eyes. It stayed until the youngling was out and carried away." She paused. "One time there were two younglings. They didn't know until they took the cloth off. I think I saw a baby then, but I'm not sure because Kune held my head back."

"And you are satisfied with this treatment," I asked.

"It is why I was bought."

Disgusted, I rose to my feet, towering above her. Frightened, she scrambled to get away.

"You know… it is such a trying business, womanhood. You live your lives as beasts of burden; true proletarians to the very end. You own nothing, save for the children you produce and, even then, you sell them off to keep yourself alive. You forsake your creation's calling. It's revolting. In short, it comes down to these three questions. What makes your life of any consequence to me? What is your purpose? Why should I let you live?"

The Twi'lek was trembling. I took a step towards her and she fell back; cornering herself. I must admit, to my young mind, seeing her pressed against the wall that way, her eyes filled with such terror, gave me greater pleasure than I could ever have achieved from intercourse.

"I… can't say. I… don't know."

Understanding the ease of this conquest, I feigned compassion. I knelt before her, brushing away the tears on her face.

"I know." I smiled and, taking her hand, I guided her back to the fire place. There I turned her to face me. "You_ are_ beautiful. That is why you are a slave. If you were not beautiful he would not want you."

"If… if I were not beautiful, no one would want me."

"Your child would." She looked at me as though I were speaking another language. "You could keep a child, Sierra. Your child would want you if you were a good mother. You wouldn't have to breed for anyone else any longer. Wouldn't you like that?"

The Twi'lek was visibly shaken, but her response was deafening through her silence. Calling upon the Force, I pushed through the weak barriers guarding her consciousness. Her face lost all expression and I knew I had succeeded. I waved my hand and started to speak.

"You are pathetic."

"I am pathetic," she said.

"You have no worth."

"I am worthless."

"You need a purpose," I whispered.

"I need… a purpose."

"You will free yourself."

Her back went rigid. I could feel her struggling to gain control of her body, a battle lost before it had begun. Turning to the hearth, she succumbed to my will.

"Free yourself," I said again, nudging her forward.

She nodded, closing her eyes.

"I… will… free… myself."

In one motion, she plunged her face into the fire; I left her consciousness and soaked in the sound of her screams.

x*X*x*X*x*X*x

Two standard days later my master and I stood outside the medical center to observe the damage I had inflicted. Tenebrous was forced to pay twenty-thousand credits to her owner for defaced property; another ten-thousand to keep him from filing a suit. While I was certain Tenebrous would find away to regain his losses, I am forced to admit the slave-driver was quite justified in his distress. His prize was ruined.

Her eyes had been sacrificed to the flames, as well as her nose and eighty percent of her lips. What remained of her skin was charred and in places seemed to be peeling off, revealing the muscle underneath. Her hands had been devoured in her attempts to free her face form the fire's searing grasp. She had received extensive injuries to her lekku, likely resulting in permanent brain damage. It was a pitiful sight.

I must say, it was one of my better moments.

"I hope you're satisfied, Plagueis," my master said, crossing his arms. "You've caused much more trouble than I had intended."

"I am sorry, Master."

"Not quite, my apprentice. Not quite, but you will be." Tenebrous took a moment for himself and then proceeded. "The Twi'lek is with child," he said. I could feel his eyes on my back, searching.

"It is not mine."

"Of that I am quite certain. It would be a scientific phenomenon."

"Despite this fact, we never got that far."

Tenebrous did not seem surprised. "It is reassuring to see that your priorities are in line." My master nodded to the med droid to open the door to the cell, and beckoned me to follow. Peering through the med center window I cast a final fleeting glance at the slave known only to herself as Sierra.

She was sleeping. Yet I can't help but feeling that, through the thin layer of skin that covered where her eyes once were, she could see me. Rather, she could sense me. And I knew that within her tortured slumber, she was still screaming.

I hope it was as good for her as it was for me.

x*X*x*X*x*X*x

Nearly a standard year later word reached my ears that the Twi'lek slave and her child had survived. She had given birth to a girl. The two now lived on her home planet of Ryloth, aided by government droids. I hear she has recovered much of her brain function.

As for the girl… she named it Nabrina, 'beast of burden.'

Imagine that.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This was written for a Plagueis centered contest. I have never written a story from his point of view so I just sort of waded through it.

Oh well... Sith happens.


End file.
